Elliott Barkley of Rochester (second from right), spokesman for Attica prisoners, is seen here on the second day of the Attica uprising in 1971

Who really killed Elliott "L.D." Barkley, the 21-year-old inmate spokesman from Rochester whom state investigators insisted was hit by a ricocheting bullet during the retaking of Attica Prison in 1971? The prospect that Barkley was actually murdered by storming state police is one of several shameful likelihoods raised by the powerful new documentary, Criminal Justice: Death and Politics at Attica.

To finally get to the full truth, it's time for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to get involved. He should unseal records closed to the public in 1976 by former Gov. Hugh Carey in issuing a blanket pardon for all involved in the prison retaking that claimed 43 lives.

Credit local Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Christine Christopher and David Marshall for uncovering new evidence that the amnesty actually may have been a coverup for the role that the state and presidential politics played in events that led to the deaths of Barkley and 42 others, including 10 hostages.

The documentary, which premiered last week, includes an interview with former Attica inmate Melvin Marshall, who described the purposeful shooting of Barkley at close range by a state police officer. His recollection of what happened to Barkley, believed targeted because he had assumed the high-profile role as inmate spokesman during the four-day standoff, corroborated original autopsy records uncovered by a Temple University professor.

Former Assistant Monroe County Medical Examiner George Abbott said in the film that the autopsy he conducted on Barkley didn't support the ricocheting bullet theory.

The film also establishes a link between FBI agents at the prison standoff, Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and President Richard Nixon. Nixon is heard reminding Rockefeller, who at the time had White House aspirations, of the need to toughen his liberal image. Despite pleas by observers for Rockefeller to travel to Attica to speak to the inmates, he repeatedly refused leading up to the retaking.

Justice is supposed to flow like a river. In the Attica case, Gov. Cuomo, it's been dammed too long. Unseal the records.

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Gov. Cuomo must unseal Attica records

New film raises serious questions about what really happened during the retaking of Attica Prison in 1971.

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